BLOG TOUR: 2019 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS

The Sydney Taylor Book Award will be showcasing its 2019 gold and silver medalists with a Blog Tour, February 10-14, 2019! Interviews with winning authors and illustrators will appear on a variety of Jewish and kidlit blogs. Interviews will appear on the dates below, and will remain available to read at your own convenience.

Below is the schedule for the 2019 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour. Please follow the links to visit the hosting blogs on or after their tour dates, and be sure to leave them plenty of comments!

2019 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD BLOG TOUR

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2019

Emily Jenkins and Paul Zelinsky, author and illustrator of All-of-a-Kind Family HanukkahSydney Taylor Book Award in the Younger Readers CategoryAt Out of the Box at the Horn Book

Monday, January 28, 2019

Winners of the annual Sydney Taylor Book Award were announced by the
Association of Jewish Libraries today in Seattle, WA at the Youth Media
Awards press conference of the American Library Association. Named in
memory of Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family
series, the award recognizes books for children and teens that
exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the
Jewish experience.

2019 marks the first time the Sydney Taylor Book Awards have been
included in the American Library Association Youth Media Award
announcements.

GOLD MEDALISTS

All-of-a-Kind-Family Hanukkah by Emily
Jenkins, illustrated by Paul Zelinsky, published by Schwartz & Wade,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, won the Sydney Taylor Book
Award in the Younger Readers category. In this meticulously researched
Hanukkah story based on the classic children’s book All-of-a-Kind
Family, poetic language and exuberant illustrations perfectly capture
the emotions of each of the iconic sisters as they prepare latkes and
celebrate the holiday in New York’s Lower East Side in 1912.

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
by Jonathan Auxier, published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams,
won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Older Readers category. Auxier
masterfully weaves Jewish themes and characters into the story of Nan
Sparrow, a chimney climbing girl in Victorian London, and her remarkable
friendship with Charlie, the soot golem who saves her life.

What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper,
illustrated by the author, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of
Random House Children’s Books, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the
Teen Readers category. This beautifully illustrated novel tells the
story of teen Holocaust survivor Gerta as she struggles to reconcile
her identity and desires in the wake of tragedy.

SILVER MEDALISTS

Five Sydney Taylor Honor Books were also recognized. For Younger Readers, the Honor Books are A Moon for Moe and Mo by Jane Breskin Zalben, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini, published by Charlesbridge, and Through the Window: Views of Marc Chagall’s Life and Art
by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Mary Grandpré, published by Alfred
A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. For Older
Readers, the Honor Books are All Three Stooges, by Erica S. Perl, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, and The Length of a String
by Elissa Brent Weissman, published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an
imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random
House. For Teen Readers, the Honor Book is You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone
by Rachel Lynn Solomon, published by Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon
& Schuster Children’s Publishing.

In addition to the medal winners,
the Award Committee designated nine Notable Books of Jewish Content
for 2019. More information about the Sydney Taylor Book Award and a
complete listing of the award winners and notables can be found at www.sydneytaylorbookawards.org.

Winning authors and illustrators will receive their awards at the
Annual Conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries, to be held in
Los Angeles, California, from June 17 – 19, 2019. Gold and silver
medalists will also participate in a blog tour February 10-14, 2019. For
more information about the blog tour please visit www.jewishlibraries.org/blog.
An exclusive interview with the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee
Chair Susan Kusel may be heard on The Book of Life podcast at www.bookoflifepodcast.com.

The Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) promotes Jewish
literacy through enhancement of libraries and library resources and
through leadership for the profession and practitioners of Judaica
librarianship. The Association fosters access to information, learning,
teaching and research relating to Jews, Judaism, the Jewish experience
and Israel. AJL is an affiliate of the American Library Association.
More information is available at www.jewishlibraries.org.

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2019 Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award Winner Chosen

The Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award Competition committee is pleased
to announce the recipient of the 2019 award. Jessica Littmann, author of
A Corner of the World, will receive the award
at the annual conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries to be
held in Los Angeles, California from June 17-19, 2019. The Award
is offered annually to an unpublished manuscript that has broad appeal
to readers aged 8-13 and presents Jewish life in a positive light. The
committee members felt that A Corner of the World had the perfect amount
of Jewish content and values combined with complex contemporary themes.

A Corner of the World tells the story
of two unlikely friends, Maya and Sam, who team up to make a
difference in their community. Maya and Sam are both students at a
Jewish day school who, like many middle school students, struggle with
personal challenges that make them feel alone. When violence affects a
member of their school's staff, Maya and Sam find common cause in a
mitzvah project which brings healing and hope to a Chicago neighborhood
in the spirit of tikkun olam.

In writing A Corner of the World, Ms.
Littmann was inspired by a news story she had read about two
teenagers who raised money to build a playground for disadvantaged
children in Chicago. She said further that she “tried to provide a
snapshot of the issues that contemporary Jewish kids face in the
classroom and in their lives as part of the great community.”

Having grown up reading and loving Sydney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family
books, Ms. Littmann is thrilled to have been selected for this award
and feels “as if she’s traveling in her own personal rainbow.” Ms.
Littmann, who lives in Evanston, Illinois, is a teacher by training. She
is currently working as a freelance writer and serves as a member of
the board of Beth Hillel B’nai Emunah Academy. A Corner of the World is her first novel.

2018 Sydney Taylor Book Award Winners Announced
Winners of the annual Sydney Taylor Book Award were announced by the Association of Jewish Libraries today. Named in memory of Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series, the award recognizes books for children and teens that exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience.

2018 is the 50th Anniversary of the Sydney Taylor Awards. The first winner was The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia by Esther Hautzig in 1968, published by the Thomas Y. Crowell Company.

GOLD MEDALISTS

The Language of Angels: A Story About the Reinvention of Hebrew by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Karla Gudeon, published by Charlesbridge, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Younger Readers category. This beautiful picture book tells the story of how Hebrew became an everyday language in Israel, after being out of use for two thousand years. The folk art illustrations are an illuminating match.

Refugee by Alan Gratz, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Older Readers category. The journeys of three different young refugees from Nazi Germany, 1990s Cuba and present-day Syria come together to form an emotional and timely narrative about the refugee experience.

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe, translated by Lilit Thwaites, published by Godwin Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company, a division of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Teen Readers category. This powerful story of Dita Kraus and her protection of a handful of books in the Auschwitz concentration camp shows the importance of hope in the darkest of times.

Harold Grinspoon and PJ Library won the Sydney Taylor Body of Work Award. PJ Library, a project of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, is a family engagement program that sends free books celebrating Jewish values and culture to families with children 6 months through 8 years old. This program has revolutionized the field of Jewish children’s literature by providing dramatically improved access to Jewish books for families. It has also significantly increased the publication of children’s books with Jewish content. The Body of Work Award has been given twelve times in the 50-year history of the Sydney Taylor Awards. The last recipient was author Eric Kimmel in 2004. SILVER MEDALISTS

Eight Sydney Taylor Honor Books were also recognized. For Younger Readers, the Honor Books are: Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam adapted by Fawzia GilaniWilliams, illustrated by Chiara Fedele, published by Kar-Ben Publishing, a division of Lerner Publishing Group and Drop by Drop: A Story of Rabbi Akiva by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg, published by Kar-Ben Publishing, a division of Lerner Publishing Group.

For Older Readers, the Honor Books are: Viva, Rose! by Susan Krawitz, published by Holiday House, which was also the recipient of the 2015 Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award; This Is Just a Test by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic; and The Six-Day Hero by Tammar Stein, published by Kar-Ben Publishing, a division of Lerner Publishing Group.

For Teen Readers, the Honor Books are: To Look a Nazi in the Eye: A Teen’s Account of a War Criminal Trial by Kathy Kacer with Jordana Lebowitz, published by Second Story Press; Almost Autumn by Marianne Kaurin, translated by Rosie Hedger, published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic; and The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke, published by Albert Whitman & Company.

In addition to the medal winners, the Award Committee designated twelve Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2018. More information about the Sydney Taylor Book Award and a complete listing of the award winners and notables can be found at www.sydneytaylorbookawards.org.

Winning authors and illustrators will receive their awards at the Annual Conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries, to be held in Boston, MA from June 18-20, 2018. Gold and silver medalists will also participate in a blog tour February 4-8, 2018. For more information about the blog tour please visit www.jewishlibraries.org/blog.

The Language of Angels and Refugee were also named winners of the 67th Annual National Jewish Book Awards, which were announced today as well. A full list of all the winners can be found on the Jewish Book Councils website here.

published by Kar-Ben Publishing, a division of Lerner Publishing Group

Drop by Drop: A Story of Rabbi Akiva by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg

published by Kar-Ben Publishing, a division of Lerner Publishing Group

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Older Readers

Viva, Rose! by Susan Krawitz, published by Holiday House

This Is Just a Test by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic

The Six-Day Hero by Tammar Stein, published by Kar-Ben Publishing, a division of Lerner Publishing Group

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Teen Readers

To Look a Nazi in the Eye: A Teen’s Account of a War Criminal Trial by Kathy Kacer with Jordana Lebowitz, published by Second Story Press

Almost Autumn by Marianne Kaurin, translated by Rosie Hedger published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic

The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke, published by Albert Whitman & Company

~~~~~~

Notable Books for Younger Readers

Yom Kippur Shortstop by David A. Adler, illustrated by Andre Ceolin published by Apples & Honey Press, an imprint of Behrman House

Under the Sabbath Lamp by Michael Herman, illustrated by Alida Massari published by Kar-Ben Publishing, a division of Lerner Publishing Group

Big Sam: A Rosh Hashanah Tall Tale by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Jim Starr published by Apples & Honey Press, an imprint of Behrman House

The Knish War on Rivington Street by Joanne Oppenheim, illustrated by Jon Davis published by Albert Whitman & Company

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of R.B.G. vs. Inequality by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Stacy Innerst, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, a division of Abrams

Notable Books for Older Readers

Hedy’s Journey: The True Story of a Hungarian Girl Fleeing the Holocaust by Michelle Bisson, illustrated by El primo Ramón published by Capstone Press, a Capstone imprint

The Children of Willesden Lane: A True Story of Hope and Survival During World War II: Young Readers Edition by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen and adapted by Emil Sher published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group

Wordwings by Sydelle Pearl, published by Guernica Editions

The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero published by Delacorte Press, a division of Random House Children’s Books

Notable Books for Teen Readers

Man’s Search for Meaning: Young Reader Edition by Viktor E. Frankl, published by Beacon Press

Winners of the annual Sydney Taylor Book Award were announced by the
Association of Jewish Libraries today. Named in memory of Sydney Taylor,
author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series, the award recognizes
books for children and teens that exemplify high literary standards
while authentically portraying the Jewish experience.

GOLD MEDALISTS

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
by Debbie Levy with illustrations by Elizabeth Baddeley, published by
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, won the Sydney Taylor Book
Award in the Younger Readers category. This delightful biography of the
Supreme Court Justice teaches children that dissent does not make a
person disagreeable, and can even help change the world. The
grab-your-attention illustrations help explain the text.

The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog
by Adam Gidwitz, illustrated by Hatem Aly, published by Dutton
Children’s Books/Penguin Random House, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award
in the Older Readers category. Part fantasy and part adventure, this is
the tale of strangers who become friends while on a quest to save
thousands of volumes of Talmud. The beautiful illuminations reflect the
medieval flavor of the book.

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit,
published by Alfred A. Knopf/Penguin Random House, won the Sydney Taylor
Book Award in the Teen Readers category. Anna is left alone in 1939
Krakow when the Nazis take her father away. She meets the mysterious
Swallow Man who is able to speak “bird,” and travels with him in the
forests of Poland, where they spend four years hiding and eluding
capture. This is a haunting story that may be allegory or folktale or
perhaps both.

SILVER MEDALISTS

Four Sydney Taylor Honor Books were also recognized. For Younger Readers, the Honor Books are Fascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy by Richard Michelson with illustrations by Edel Rodriguez, published by Alfred A. Knopf/Penguin Random House, and A Hat For Mrs. Goldman: A Story About Knitting and Love written by Michelle Edwards with illustrations by G. Brian Karas, published by Schwartz and Wade Books/Penguin Random House.

Dreidels on the Brain written by Joel Ben Izzy and published by Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House, and A Poem For Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day
by Andrea Davis Pinkney with illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou
Fancher, published by Viking Children’s Books/Penguin Random House, are
the Honor books in the Older Readers Category.

In addition to the medal winners, the Award Committee designated ten
Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2017. More information about the
Sydney Taylor Book Award and a complete listing of the award winners and
notables can be found at www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.org.

Winning authors and illustrators will receive their awards at the
Annual Conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries, to be held in
New York City in June. Gold and silver recipients will also participate
in a blog tour during February. For more information about the blog tour
please visit www.jewishlibraries.org/blog.

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THE 2017 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDSANNOUNCED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger ReadersI Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
by Debbie Levy with illustrations by Elizabeth Baddeley
(Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older ReadersThe Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog
by Adam Gidwitz with illustrations by Hatem Aly
(Dutton Children’s Books/Penguin Random House)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Younger ReadersFascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy
by Richard Michelson with illustrations by Edel Rodriguez
(Alfred A. Knopf/Penguin Random House)A Hat For Mrs. Goldman: A Story About Knitting and Love
by Michelle Edwards with illustrations by G. Brian Karas
(Schwartz and Wade Books/ Penguin Random House)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Older ReadersDreidels on the Brain by Joel Ben Izzy
(Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House)A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of the Snowy Day
by Andrea Davis Pinkney with illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
(Viking Children’s Books/Penguin Random House)

Monday, January 25, 2016

The Sydney Taylor Book Award will be celebrating and showcasing its 2016 gold and silver medalists with a Blog Tour, February 8-12, 2016! Interviews with winning authors and illustrators will appear on a wide variety of Jewish and kidlit blogs. For those of you who have not yet experienced a Blog Tour, it’s basically a virtual book tour. Instead of going to a library or bookstore to see an author or illustrator speak, you go to a website on or after the advertised date to read an author’s or illustrator’s interview.

Below is the schedule for the 2016 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour. Please follow the links to visit the hosting blogs on or after their tour dates, and be sure to leave them plenty of comments!

The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens
that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically
portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor,
author of the classicAll-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will receive their awards at theAssociation of Jewish Libraries Conference in Charleston, South Carolina this June.

Newman and Bates will receive the 2016 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Reader category forKetzel, the Cat Who Composed,
published by Candlewick Press. This delightful picture book tells the
true story of musician Morris Moshe Cotel, whose cat helped him compose a
one-minute composition that received an honorable mention in theParis New Music Reviewcompetition.
The illustrations are heartwarming and add much charm to the story.
Appelfeld, Dumas and Green will receive the 2016 gold medal in the
Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Older Readers category forAdam and Thomas,
published by Seven Stories Press. This sweet story tells of two
nine-year-old Jewish boys who survive the last winter of World War II,
helping each other so that one grows physically stronger and braver and
the other grows spiritually. Laura Amy Schlitz will receive the 2016
gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Teen category forThe Hired Girl,
published by Candlewick Press. This sensitive story tells how
fourteen-year-old Catholic Joan Skraggs becomes a hired girl to a Jewish
family where she learns and grows in unexpected ways.

Five Sydney Taylor Honor Books were named for 2016. For Younger Readers, the Honor Books areEverybody Says Shalomwritten by Leslie Kimmelman and illustrated by Talitha Shipman, published by Random House, andShanghai Sukkahwritten by Heidi Smith Hyde and illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong, published by Kar-Ben Publishing. Hereville: How Mirka Caught a Fishby
Barry Deutsch, published by Amulet Books, is the Honor book in the
Older Reader category. For Teen Readers, the Honor books areSerendipity’s Footstepsby Suzanne Nelson, published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, andStones on a Graveby Kathy Kacer, published by Orca Book Publishers.

Winners and Honor recipients will be participating in a Blog Tour from
February 7-12, 2016. For more information about the blog please visitwww.jewishlibraries.org/blog.

In addition to the medal winners, the Award Committee designated twelve
Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2016. More information about the
Sydney Taylor Book Award can be found atwww.SydneyTaylorBookAward.org.